Vang Vieng

It's never a good sign when the bus driver starts handing out complimentary barf bags. After flying through village after village outside of Vientiane, horn honking deliriously and motorcycles loaded with three generations darting out of the way, markets giving way to rice fields, we started climbing through lush green hills shrouded with mist. And switchbacks. And just because there's a bend in the road does not mean the bus slows down. I passed the time talking with a student from Bangkok as we clung to the polls in front of us.

The carsts of Vang Vieng appeared through the smoky afternoon light and I was excited to make my way across the river to my guesthouse and settle in. If you ignore the town, Vang Vieng is beautiful. The town has been converted into a tourist mecca where Westerners get drunkon cheap rice whisky and watch reruns of "Friends"in every bar. Bizarre. But if you wander out of town, preferably on a bike as I did yesterday, you are rewarded by amazing views of the hills and fields. There are caves to shimmy and slip through, lagoons to wade through, cows to avoid slamming into. It's gorgeous.

I also did two days of rock climbing. I'm scared of heights, so it was an accomplishment for me, and I only freaked out a couple of times as I clung to the limestone sixty feet above the ground.

Now I'm off to Luang Prubang. This stretch of road is supposed to be even worse than the last. Dramamine in hand, I go.